Lunch Report: Lea's Pulled Pork...

One of the truly enjoyable things about writing about the places my wife and I visit - and eat - has been the people we have had the chance to meet either strictly via comments and e-mails or face to face. Several people who we now consider to be good friends have come just from their chance-reading of this goofy little blog.

I have written before about Matt & Lea. You may recall when I was attempting to make some of my own wings, Lea hooked me up with a recipe of her own; and I failed miserably at trying to make them - though they were good.

I also told you how we met in person - strictly by chance - when Lea yelled my name out across Lowe's, and I genuinely had no idea who she or her husband were. I am simply terrible with names and for the life of me, I thought perhaps they were relatives I hadn't seen in a while. You never know, right?

It wasn't long afterward that Matt & Lea invited us over for some of her famous spare ribs. I know you have heard about meat falling away from the bones when things are cooked right, but seriously, the bones nearly floated away from the meat, these babies were so tender and delicious.

And in return, I serve them some less than average ribs of my own on a bad grill day. I'm surprised Matt didn't insist on a refund. Thankfully, my wife had made some cream-corn to win him over.

Anyway, I just wanted to point out what really nice folks these people are. Like me, Matt is retired military. Unlike me, he is a computer whiz and in addition to working full time, he goes to school pretty much full time! Lea is an amazing person who, though now retired is a no kidding professional carpenter, builder, roofer, floorer; you name it. If it is related to construction and a house, this woman has done it, has the certification to do it and the t-shirt to prove it, and I have seen her handy work first hand.

As it turns out, because Lea is also a mother and grandmother, she and Matt have decided to move to Tennessee to be closer to the kids. How can you blame them? In the mean time, in preparation for the move, she and Matt basically remodeled their home in Silver Creek, on their own. You just can't believe what fine craftsmanship has gone into the kitchen, the bathrooms, the floors - everything. And of course, their home has sold, and off they go.

But not without inviting us over for some pulled-pork sammiches. I had mentioned that on our flight back from New Jersey, we had a stopover in Memphis and the schedule was so tight that we literally got off one plane and boarded the next with only the smell of the BBQ between us. And of course, Lea was quick to comment that she could fix us up.So, along with several of our neighbors, we made the short trek to Matt & Lea's to try out her pulled pork. Just the smell of it as we walked in the house was the only clue I needed; we were in for some good eats!Lea had whipped up some fried cabbage with real bacon bits and little potatoes. My wife and I had never had this recipe before but both loved it (and took some home for later).We all knew that the pulled-pork sammies were on the menu but Lea surprised us with a batch of her famous ribs. There is no way to convey just how wonderful these things are. As expected, the meat simply fell from the bones and you could see smiles on faces around the table.The pulled-pork sammies were equally as impressive and certainly a hit. At one point during the meal, there was no talking at all; you could hear several of us making the sigh that comes when someone has eaten something really good and they just don't want the good feeling to end. I had made my familiar mmm mmm mmm sound (at least a few times by this point) and I think the Lea had received the feedback she was looking for.

At one point, my neighbor Gus had about a third of his second pulled-pork sandwich sitting on his plate as he sat back just for a moment. His wife Ruby reached for it thinking he was finished and a near knife fight ensued when Gus attempted to defend his food saying, "Hey! I'm just taking a break!" Ruby was lucky to retract her hand with all fingers remaining.

When everyone had eaten themselves into submission, Matt reminded Lea that they really needed to get those release forms for people to sign - verifying that we would not hold them accountable for any weight gain.And then there was dessert. Is there anything this woman does not do? I rarely eat sweets, but my favorite cake is Angel food. Lea added a hint of strawberry flavoring in the mix, then lightly covered it with a lemon icing. Seriously, if the others were not present, I could have eaten this light and fluffy cake by myself.It almost seems inadequate to offer up the familiar Tasty Treat, but I will because there was no question about it. But, I have to go one step further. This one is just for her. Lea has dreams of perhaps opening a small bistro in the not too distant future. I assure you, she has the skills in the kitchen down. We also know she could build the place from the ground up.

We wish Matt & Lea the best of luck in Memphis (or there abouts) and look forward to someday making a trip to check out her restaurant. I'll bring my camera and my appetite!